Stoking mechanism.



G. MORRISON, JR. sToKING MBOHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.17, 1912. L1 15,904.,

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Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

G. MORRISON, Jn. STKING MEHANISM.

APILIGATION FILED SBPT.17. 1912.

l, l 1 5,004, Patented 0013.27, 1914.

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Sum/wko@ G. MORRISON, JR.

STOKING MBGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED SBPT.17, 1012.

Patented Oct. 2'?, 1914.

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C] Hom u) GILBERT MORRISON, JR., OF ELBERTON, GEORGIA.

STOKING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Det. 27, 1914.

Application led September 17, 1912. Serial No. 720,841.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, GILBERT MORRISON, .I r., a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Elberton, in the county of Elbert and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stoking Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in coaling or stoking me hanisms and has particular application to a mechanism of the type set forth employed for coaling the locomotives of railway cars from the tender.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide a coaling or stoking mechanism or apparatus whereby the fuel .may be conveyed from the tender to the fire box of the locomotive in such manner as to eliminate the necessity of manual labor usually incident to the eoaling of locomotives and similar traction engines. Furthermore, I aim to provide an apparatus of this class by means of which the coal maybe automatically fed from the tender to the fire box of the engine and distributed in such fire boX and over the burning fuel therein in an even and uniform manner thereby aiding combustion and the burning of the fuel with uniformity. d y

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a coaling or stoking mechanism or apparatus which will include devices arranged within the tender 4or coal car and operated by power, preferably supplied from the locomotive boiler, and an endless traveling conveyer in communication with said devices and designed to carry the coal from the tender to the ire box of the engine and deposit suoli coal therein, the power or driving mechanism of the stoking apparatus being under manual control.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construetion, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings,there has been illustrated one preferred and practical embodiment of my invention, and in these drawings; Figure l is a fragmentary sectional view through a locomotive tender or coal car, the latter being equipped with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the stoking apparatus applied to the tender, parts being broken away. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the tender. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view therethrough, parts of the stoking mechanism being shown in elevation taken O11 the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig, 5 is a horizontal sectional view through the tender taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3. Fig.' 6 is a transverse sectional view through the tender taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is anenlarged sectional view Iof part of the stoking mechanism showing the distributer. Fig. 8 is an edge view of the distributer.

Similar reference characters designate like parts through out the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the cab portion of a locomotive is indicated at A, a portion of the fire box B, while the tender or coal carrying car of the locomotive'or engine is indicated at C, the engine and tender being coupled to each other by any well known or preferred form of coupling, as will be readily understood.

W designates the water chamber or compartment of the tender which in the present instance surrounds the coal receiver R. The coal receiver lt, in the present instance, tapers downwardly as shown in'Fig 6 and at its bottom or lower portion is provided with a discharge mouth M extending pref erably the full length of the receiver.

In accordance with the present invention, a number of-coal feeding devices are located within the coal receiver and so correlated as to effectively discharge the coal from the container by way of the outlet mouth M when such devices are in operation.

Arranged longitudinally Iand centrally of the coal receiver R at an yappropriate 'distance above the dischargemouth thereof and secured to the end walls of the receiver in any suitable manner or by any preferred or well known means, is a guard or deiiector 1 of substantially triangular outlinein cross section and having its apex facing the inlet of the coal receiver. Disposed belowrthe delector l1. at the marginal edges thereof .f and'arranged longitudinally of the coal receiver in spaced parallel relation, are agitators 2, 2` of any suitable construction, such agitators being journaled in the end walls of the receiver. Located at each side of the outlet mouth M of thecoal receiver at a suitable distance above the same, and outwardly of the. agitators 2, 2, is a shaker bar3 arranged longitudinally of the coal receiver and slidably disposed within a guide 4 and equipped with pins 5 spaced apart and pro- `jecting toward the pins on the opposite from a single source of power which, in the present instance embraces a steam engine E ofthe reciprocating type fixed to a base or support 7 carried by the forward end of the tender immediately rearwardly ofthe locomotive cab, the engine being fed or supplied with steam through a conduit 8 equipped with a controlling valve 9 and connected up to the steam dome of the boiler of the engine or other suitable steam carrying pipe. To one extremity of the crank shaft 10'of the engine is keyed a bevel gear 11 and disposed at the opposite sides of such bevel gear and meshing with the teeth thereof are similar pinions 12 and 13 each keyed to a shaft 11 journaled in suitable bearings upon the base or support 7 and carrying a sprocket wheel 15, and keyed to the end of the crank shaft 10 beyond the bevel gear 11, is a sprocketwheel 1G. The forward extremities of the agitators 2, 2 terminate beyond the respective end wall ofthe tender in Vstub shafts and keyed or otherwise secured to cach stub shaft of the respective agitator is a sprocket wheel 17. Likewise, the forward extremities of the feed rollers 6, 6 terminate beyond the respective end wall of the tender in stub shafts and to these'last-mentioned stub shafts are` keyed or otherwise fastened sprocket wheels 18, 18, suitable idle rollers 19, 19 being carried by the end wall of the tender outwardly of the wheels 18, 18 and at the relatively opposite sides o-f the centers of such sprockets, for a purpose which will presently appear. rlrained over the sprocket wheel 16 and engaging the similar wheels 17 and 18 an drunning around the idle-rollers 19, 19, is an endless traveling chain 20 engaging' the sprocket wheel 17, 17 and 18, 18 in such manner as to rotate the agitators and feed rollers in relatively opposite directions to one another. 1f desired, a suitable clutch I may be employed to connect and disconnect the sprocket wheel 16 to and from the crank shaft 10 respectively. In utilizing a steam engine for the driving of the mechanism, however, a clutch mechanism need not be employed as the engine is at all'times under the control of an operator or attendant by means of the controlling or throttle valve 9.

As before stated, the shaker bars 3, 3 are reciprocated to assist in discharging the fuel or coal from the receiver, and to this end a shaft 21 is made use of and ournaled within a bracket 22 secured to the forward end of the locomotive tender, with respect to the locomotive, and the opposite ends of such shaft 21 are equipped with crank arms 23, 23 connected tothe respective shaker bar 3 through the medium of a link 24 or the like. This shaft 21 is adapted for rotary movement within its bearings so as to impart reciprocatory motion to the shaker bars and for this purpose has keyed thereto a sprocket wheel 25 and over the sprocket wheel 25 and the similar wheelA 15 upon the shaft of. bevel gear 13, is trained an endless chain 26 by means of which motion from the bevel gear 11 is, through the medium between the. rollers, such coal may be disl charged without mutilating or otherwise in juring the rollers and their bearings. To effect this relative movement of the rollers 6, leach end of each roller is, as shown in Fig. 3, journaled in a bearing slidably disposed within la slot or guide way 27 and disposed intermediate the bearing and one wall of the slot or guide way is a tension device such as an expansion spring 28. Thus, it will be seen that the rollers 6, 6 may lbe .moved relatively to each other should a relatively large lump of coal enter I the space between the same.

The part of the mechanism so far described relates particularly to the portion ofthe stoking mechanism for discharging the coal from the coal receiver of the tender. Subsequent to the discharge of the fuel or coal from the receiver, the same is deposited upon an endless traveling conveyer and by means of such conveyer carried to the fire boXof the engine or locomotive to facilitate the feeding of the fuel automatically. To accomplish this, an endless traveling conveyer 29 is trained over a roller 30 ournaled in or carried by the end wall of the tender opposite from the wall carrying the engine i opposite side walls of a frame 32, the lastmentioned roller being disposed normally in proximity to the fire door of the furnace fire box. y The conveyer 29 is disposed immediately below the feed rollers 6 and extends the full length of such rollers, and the supporting frame 32 of the forward portion thereof is pivoted as at 33 to a bracket 34 of a configuration conforming to the cross sectional contour of the frame and secured to the proximate end wall of the tender. Journaled in the forward end of the bracket 34 and forming the pivotal connection be tween such bracket and the frame 32, is a shaft 35 to which is keyed or otherwise secured a supporting drum 36 equipped at its;

opposite extremities with sprocket wheels 37 each of which engages a chain or" the like 38 secured to the adjacent marginal edge of the conveyer 29 or formed integral with such conveyer, as desired. This shaft 35 in addition to forming the pivot of the frame i 32, acts as the drive shaft of the drum 36,

the sprocket wheels 37 and consequently the conveyor and for this purpose has keyed thereto outwardly of the conveyer, a sprocket wheel 39 over which, and the sprocket wheel l5 on the shaft 14 of the bevel gear l2, is trained an endless chain 40. Thus, it will be noted that the conveyer is provided with incentral drive, such being preferable incident to the pivotal connection between the supporting frame 32 and the bracket 34.

It will be noted that the frame 32 is inclined upwardly from the bracket 34 and the forward extremity thereof terminates in an abutment wall 4l designed to snugly engage the marginal edges of the door opening of the fire box B of the locomotive and resting against such wall under pressure, incident to the upward inclination of the frame. Pivotally mounted upon the upper portion of such abutment wall, as at 42, is a door 43 adapted to be opened and closed to establish communication between the conveyer 29 and the irevboxand cut off coinmunication between such conveyer and tire box. This door is under manual control and is designed to gravitate to a closed position and is opened through the medium of a horn 4t secured to or integral with one end of a shaft 45 journaled in brackets 46 and connected at its opposite end to an arm 47 to the free extremity of which latter is pivotally connected a rod 48 also pivotally connected at its free end as at 49 to an operating lever 50 provided with the usuallocking dog and movable about a quadrant 51 secured upon a bracket 52 fastened in any suitable manner to the adjacent portion of the respective end of the tender. From this construction, it will be noted that by means of the lever 50, the rod 4S may be actuated to impart movement to the horn 44 and so open the door 43, the locking dog being adapted to engage the notches in the quadrant 5l to hold the door in open position, the release of the operating lever 5() retracting the horn il and permitting the door to gravitate to closed position. A

In the practice of my invention, I have found it desirable to provide means whereby `the coal or other fuel upon the conveyor may be distributed evenly and uniformly within the fire box B and over the fuel therein so as to aid combustion and for other similar purposes, and to this end I have pivotally connected as at 53 to the bottom of the sup orting frame 32, a distributor 54 of prefera ly concave-convex outline in longitudinal section and having its convexed portion designed to receive the coal from the conveyer 29, so as to etl'ect the even distribution of such coal. This distributor 54 is` adapted to be oscillated or moved from side to side about its pivotal connection 53. In order to apply or impart such oscillating movemetto the distributer, the latter is driven from an appropriate part of the driving mechanism of the stoker or coaling mechanism, for instance, the driving shaft 35 of the conveyer, the latter being equipped at one extremity with a crank arm 55 to which is pivotally connected one extremity of a pitman 56, the opposite extremity of the latter being pivotally connected to a bell crank lever 57 pivoted at its bight as at 58 and having its free arm connected to the distributer 54 through the medium of a link 59. Thus, in the movement of the driving shaft of the conveyor, oscillatory motion will be imparted to the distributor 5ft to enable the distribution of the coal in the manner aforesaid.

In the present instance, I have shown my invention as applied to a railroad locomotive or hauling engine, and in this connection I desire to have it understood that my invention is not limited to any particular type of road engine, as the same may be applied to any form of traction or hauling engine depending upon coal or the like fuel for its propulsion, and while I have herein shown and described one particular form of my invention by way of illustration. I desire to have it understood that I do not con fine myself to the exact details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scopeof the claim and without departing from the spirt of my invent ion.

I claim:

In combination` a locomotive lire box having a fuel feed opening therein, a tender: fuel conveyor frame pivotally supported at one end upon said tender and inclined upwardly from the tender.`an abutment wall on the other end of sai'd frame engaging the marginal walls of the fuel feed opening under pressure, a door pivoted upon the liie box end of said frame, said door being adapted to close said opening, means for opening sail door, and a distributer carried by the last-mentioned end of Said frame and dis- S posed 'Within the fuel feed opening of said fire box.

n testimony whereof I am): my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GILBERT MORRSON, JR. Witnesses:

W. NEWTON, v L. C. EDWARDS. 

